Antenna apparatus of mobile terminal

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal and manufacture of same are provided. The mobile terminal includes: an antenna; a first case at which the antenna is disposed; a second case coupled to the first case; a main PCB disposed at one side of the second case; and a sub-PCB disposed at an opposite side of the second case, the sub-PCB being connected to the main PCB through a cable, wherein the sub-PCB is electrically coupled with the antenna when the first case and the second case are coupled together.

CROSS RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This is a Continuation application of an earlier U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/782,775 filed on May 19, 2010 which in turn claims, pursuant to 35 USC 119, priority to, and the benefit of the earlier filing date of, that patent application filed in the Korean Patent Office, entitled “Antenna Apparatus of Mobile Terminal,” on May 21, 2009 and afforded Ser. No. 10-2009-0044377, the contents of which are incorporated by reference, herein.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to an antenna apparatus of a mobile terminal that can be efficiently disposed within a limited space of the mobile terminal.

Description of the Related Art

Mobile terminals are widely used by users as they can provide various user functions such as a mobile communication function, game player function, and scheduler function while being lightweight and highly mobile. Because the mobile terminal should basically provide mobility, the mobile terminal has a small size and should have a design that satisfies a variety of different functions and/or requirements of users. Because of the intensive use of mobile terminals and their being adapted to perform many different functions it is necessary that a mobile terminal has a design that maximizes the limited space of the terminal.

An antenna of the mobile terminal is one part having particular spatial restriction because of the operating frequencies of the mobile terminal. Typically, a conventional mobile terminal has a carrier to support the antenna, and the spatial utility of the mobile terminal is deteriorated by the carrier structure. Furthermore, costs associated with the addition of the carrier structure are increased in both the cost of the carrier itself and the steps of assembling the carrier.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides an antenna apparatus of a mobile terminal that can efficiently use space when installing an antenna within the mobile terminal.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a mobile terminal includes: an antenna; a first case at which the antenna is disposed; a second case coupled to the first case; a main PCB disposed at one side of the second case; and a sub-PCB disposed at the other side of the second case, connected through the main PCB and a cable, and contacting with the antenna as the first case and the second case are coupled.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, A method for manufacturing a mobile terminal includes: disposing an antenna at one side of a first case of the mobile terminal, wherein an entire lower end area of the first case represents an area in which the antenna is disposed; positioning a sub-PCB (printed circuit board) at one side of a second case of the mobile terminal, the sub-PCB being oppositely positioned to the antenna, the sub-PCB including at least one contact terminal; and positioning a PCB at a second end of the second case, the PCB and the sub-PCB being electrically connected, coupling the first case and the second case such that the at least one contact terminal electrically connects to a corresponding point on the antenna.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a dual-communication mode mobile terminal includes: a single antenna having a length sufficient to support each of the dual communication modes; a first PCB having contact terminals positioned to engage the antenna at lengths to support each of the dual communication modes, and a switch for determining which of the contact terminal is activated; and a second PCB, electrically connected to the first PCB providing instruction to the switch for operating in a selected one of the dual communication modes, wherein the antenna is formed in an area of a first case of the mobile terminal and the first PCB is formed in a first end of a second case of the mobile terminal opposite the antenna in the first case and second PCB is formed in second end of the second case of the mobile terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external appearance of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of a case of the mobile terminal of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating only elements included in an antenna apparatus of the mobile terminal of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a sub-PCB of the mobile terminal of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. The views in the drawings are schematic views only, and are not intended to be to scale or correctly proportioned. Detailed descriptions of well-known functions and structures incorporated herein may be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

While the present invention may be embodied in many different forms, specific embodiments of the present invention are shown in drawings and are described herein in detail, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external appearance of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a mobile terminal 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes an antenna 230 for transmitting and receiving a communication signal, main printed circuit board (PCB) 210 for processing a signal transmitted and received using antenna 230, sub-PCB 220, display unit 140 for outputting a communication procedure and an image for supporting utilization by a user, and a case 170 for supporting the display unit 140 and having the main PCB 210, the sub-PCB 220, and the antenna 230 therein. As would be appreciated, antenna 230, PCB 210 and sub-PCB 220 are shown in dashed or dotted lines to represent that these elements are contained within case 170.

The antenna 230 performs a function of transmitting a signal when activating a communication function of the mobile terminal 100 and receiving a signal that has been transmitted by another device. The antenna 230 is contained within case 170. In order to dispose the antenna 230 within the case 170, the antenna 230 is formed in a predetermined pattern. A length or a volume of the antenna 230 changes according to a communication method of the mobile terminal 100. Further, when the mobile terminal 100 supports a plurality of communication methods, the antenna 230 has a length or a volume that can support all of the communication methods. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 supports a GSM communication method and a WCDMA communication method, the antenna 230 has a length or a volume for supporting both the GSM communication method and the WCDMA communication method.

The antenna 230 according to the present exemplary embodiment is disposed at one side of the lower end of the case 170 enclosing the edge of the display unit 140. In order to prevent movement of the antenna 230 disposed within the case 170, the antenna 230 is formed to be fastened to various latch jaws or protrusions (not shown) provided in the case 170. For example, when the antenna 230 is formed in a pattern, the antenna 230 has at least one hole (not shown) in a predetermined portion of each pattern.

The main PCB 210 controls various user functions provided by the mobile terminal 100. The main PCB 210, for example, controls supply of power supplied from a power source unit to each element of the mobile terminal 100. The PCB 210 further performs a startup or booting operation when power is first supplied to the mobile terminal.

When activation of a user function, for example, a mobile communication function is requested, the main PCB 210 controls the power supplied to a communication module, and controls the circuit to direct the antenna to transmit and/or receive a signal. Further, the main PCB 210 controls other elements, for example a camera module, broadcasting reception module, GPS module, and MP3 module, and controls the activation of various functions according to a specific function output from an input unit. The main PCB 210 stores various routines for supporting and controlling each function of the mobile terminal 100 in a storage unit and performs preparation for activating a function by loading the routines during a booting process. Further, the main PCB 210 controls the storage unit to store various information that may be generated when performing a user requested function.

The main PCB 210 is also electrically connected to the sub-PCB 220 (dashed lines 240, FIG. 1), outputs a signal necessary for mobile communication to the antenna 230 through the sub-PCB 220 connected to the antenna 230, and processes signals received by the antenna 230. The main PCB 210 is disposed at a predetermined distance from the antenna 230 and thus the main PCB 210 cannot directly contact with the antenna 230. Thus, the main PCB 210 transmits signals to, and receives signals from, the sub-PCB 220 using a cable 240 of FIG. 2.

The sub-PCB 220 has a contact terminal for contacting to the antenna 230 and contacts with the main PCB 210 through the cable 240. The sub-PCB 220 outputs a signal, output by the main PCB 210, to the antenna 230 under the control of the main PCB 210 and performs the function of outputting a signal received by the antenna 230 to the main PCB 210. In this process, the sub-PCB 220 outputs an electrical signal to the antenna 230 and receives a signal received by the antenna 230 using a contact terminal that can contact with a specific point of the antenna 230 (not shown). When the mobile terminal 100 supports a plurality of communication methods, the sub-PCB 220 has a plurality of contact terminals. In this case, each contact terminal is disposed to contact with a specific point of the antenna pattern. When the antenna 230 is formed in a pattern, frequency coverage of a receiving signal changes or sensitivity of a receiving signal changes according to a point at which the contact terminal contacts with the antenna pattern. Accordingly, the contact terminal is positioned at the sub-PCB 220 in a manner to contact with a position of the antenna pattern optimized for a particular communication method of the mobile terminal 100. In general, for a low frequency transmission/reception, an antenna pattern of a relatively long length or large volume is necessary, and in a high frequency transmission/reception, an antenna pattern of a relatively short length or small volume is necessary. Accordingly, the contact terminal contacts with a position that can widely or narrowly use an entire length of the antenna 230 according to a supporting communication method.

When the sub-PCB 220 is disposed at one side of the case 170, in order to prevent movement of the sub-PCB 220, the case 170 has a form, groove, or hole that can be coupled by an interference fit with various latch jaws or side walls provided at one side of the case 170. Thus, the sub-PCB 220 is coupled to structures provided in the case 170, thereby preventing movement of the sub-PCB 220. The sub-PCB 220 is described with reference to FIG. 4.

Returning to FIG. 1, the display unit 140 is an element for outputting a predetermined image during a process of activating various functions of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in a process of booting the mobile terminal 100, the display unit 140 can output a predetermined image while performing a booting process and after a booting process is complete, the display unit 140 can output an image according to activation of a specific user function. That is, the display unit 140 displays information input by the user or information provided to the user as well as various menus of the mobile terminal 100 or can provide various screens, for example, a standby screen, a menu screen, a message writing screen, and a communication screen. The display unit 140 can be formed as a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic lighted emit diode (OLED), and when the flat panel display is formed in a touch screen form, the display unit 140 can be used as an input means. When the display unit 140 is formed in a touch screen form, the display unit 140 has both a display panel and a touch sensor disposed on the display panel. As the display unit 140 supports a touch screen, the mobile terminal 100 can provide various menu screens from which applications may be executed based on the touch screen. As an edge area of the display unit 140 is supported by the case 170, movement of the display unit 140 is prevented, and light leaking phenomenon in which light emitted by backlight is leaked to a side surface is prevented.

The case 170 encloses the edge of the display unit 140 and includes a first case in which the antenna pattern is disposed and a second case in which the main PCB 210 and the sub-PCB 220 are disposed. The case 170 substantially has all elements of the mobile terminal 100 therein, has various elements for preventing movement of each element therein, and can be formed in various shapes for durability. An exemplary structure of case 170 is described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of the case 170 of the mobile terminal 100 of FIG. 1.

In the following description, in the mobile terminal 100, the case 170 has a shape that can be applied to a bar type or slide type mobile terminal. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other types of mobile terminals, for example, a folder type mobile terminal, the sub-PCB 220 according to the present exemplary embodiment is provided between the main PCB 210 and the antenna pattern to have a structure for supporting a signal.

Referring to FIG. 2, as the case 170 of the mobile terminal 100, a first case 170A and a second case 170B are provided. Various structures for supporting a function of the mobile terminal 100 can be disposed within the case 170, and thus each of the first case 170A and the second case 170B has structures therein, and circumferential edges of the first case 170A and the second case 170B are coupled together to prevent separation or movement of the structure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first case 170A includes an opening 141 for exposing the display unit 140 and an antenna housing 145 for retaining the antenna pattern. When the first case 170A supports the opening 141 and the display unit 140 is disposed therein, side walls 143 cover the edges of the display unit 140 provided in the first case 170A, and a first screw coupling structure 147 that can be coupled to the second case 170B by a screw is provided in an area adjacent to the antenna housing 145. In a portion of an opening direction of the antenna housing 145, one of the side walls 143 encloses the edge of the display unit 140. Each of the side walls 143 has a section of a character “L”, and structures extended in a direction of the opening 141 are formed to contact with the edge of the display unit 140 of the side wall 143. In the side walls 143, in order to improve solidity of the side walls 143, an auxiliary structure for supporting each side wall 143 may be disposed at a predetermined distance.

The antenna housing 145 is an element for housing the antenna pattern and is formed in a step shape, and the antenna pattern is disposed at a surface thereof. A latch jaw or a protrusion is provided in the predetermined distance or a predetermined position of the antenna housing 145. The latch jaw or the protrusion is fastened to a hole formed in the antenna pattern in order to more securely support the antenna 230. In order to prevent movement of the antenna pattern, adhesives are coated on a surface of the antenna housing 145. The first screw coupling structure 147 that can be used to couple the second case 170B to the first case 170A by a screw is provided at one side of the first case 170A. In this way, in the first case 170A, as the antenna housing 145 is provided in a predetermined area of the case 170, the antenna pattern can be directly disposed.

An opening (not shown) for housing a battery is provided in the second case 170B and side walls having a character “L” form for housing various structures are provided within the second case 170B. Various structures can be housed in the second case 170B. For example, the main PCB 210 is disposed at the upper side of the second case 170B and the sub-PCB 220 is disposed at the lower side thereof. Space between the main PCB 210 and the sub-PCB 220 performs a function as a battery housing 181 for housing a battery. Further, although not shown in FIG. 2, at the lower end of the main PCB 210, other elements of the mobile terminal 100, for example, a camera module, a broadcasting reception module, or an MP3 module are disposed. At the lower end of the second case 170B, a PCB housing 178 for housing the sub-PCB 220 is provided. The PCB housing 178 includes a protruding portion 173 for coupling to a groove formed in the sub-PCB 220, a latch jaw 171 for fixing one side surface of the sub-PCB 220, and a protrusion 175 for penetrating a hole formed in the sub-PCB 220 and for fixing the sub-PCB 220. Additionally, side walls enclosing side surfaces of the sub-PCB 220 and for guiding, the sub-PCB 220 are provided in the PCB housing 178. A second screw coupling structure 187 corresponding to the first screw coupling structure 147 provided in the first case 170A is formed at one side of the second case 170B. The cable 240 for connecting a contact point formed at one side of the sub-PCB 220 and a contact point formed at one side of the main PCB 210 is disposed along one side wall of the second case 170B.

When the sub-PCB 220 disposed at one side of the second case 170B is coupled to the first case 170A, the sub-PCB 220 electrically contacts with the antenna pattern provided in the first case 170A. Accordingly, the mobile terminal 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment forms a communication path including the main PCB 210, the sub-PCB 220, the antenna 230, and the cable 240. The communication path is described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating only elements included in an antenna apparatus in the mobile terminal 100 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the sub-PCB 220 in the mobile terminal 100 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the antenna apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a main PCB 210, sub-PCB 220, antenna 230, and cable 240. Here, the antenna 230 is formed in a pattern of a predetermined form (length)) and may be formed in a form corresponding to that of the antenna housing 145 provided in the first case 170A).

In the antenna apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment, as described above, in the main PCB 210, other communication elements of the mobile terminal 100, for example a communication module corresponding to a communication method supported by the mobile terminal 100, a microphone for collecting an external audio signal, a speaker for outputting a received signal, and a storage unit for storing various application programs for connecting to a web server are mounted. Alternatively, the main PCB 210 may be electrically connected to elements disposed on one side of the case 170. The main PCB 210 is connected to the sub-PCB 220 through the cable 240. The PCB 210 outputs a signal to the sub-PCB 220 or receives a signal from the sub-PCB 220 through the cable 240.

The cable 240 performs a function of a signal input terminal or a signal output terminal in the main PCB 210 and the sub-PCB 220. The cable 240 is disposed at one side wall of the case 170 and has a contact point for contacting with each of the main PCB 210 and the sub-PCB 220.

Referring to FIG. 4, the sub-PCB 220 includes a board 227 in which structures are mounted, a contact point 222 connected to the cable 240 at one side of the board 227, a circuit 225 electrically connected to the contact point 222 and for contacting with each of the contact terminals, and a first contact terminal 221 and second contact terminal 223 connected to the circuit 225.

The board 227 is made of various materials such as wood or plastic and is formed in a form corresponding to a PCB housing provided in the second case 170B of the mobile terminal 100. That is, the board 227 has a groove 229 fastened to the protruding portion 173 provided in the PCB housing 178 and a hole 228 fastened to a protrusion 175 provided in the PCB housing 178. Edges of the board 227 are formed to correspond to side walls 143 for a guide provided in the PCB housing 178.

The contact point 222 is a point in which the cable 240 contacts and is formed through a soldering (or similar fixed attaching means, e.g. an adhesive) operation for electrically connecting an end portion of the cable 240 and the sub-PCB 220. The contact point 222 is electrically connected to the circuit 225. For this, the sub-PCB 220 further includes a signal line for electrically connecting the contact point 222 and the circuit 225.

When the circuit 225 contacts with the antenna 230, the circuit 225 is an element for performing impedance matching and is an element for controlling the form of a communication path of one of the contact terminals connected to the circuit 225. The circuit 225 includes a switch for controlling the communication path with the first contact terminal 221 or the second contact terminal 223 according to a signal output from the main PCB 210 and includes elements for impedance matching.

The first contact terminal 221 is a terminal contacting with a first point 231 of the antenna pattern (see FIG. 3) and is an element that can be connected to the antenna pattern when the mobile terminal 100 supports a specific communication method, for example a GSM communication method.

The second contact terminal 223 is a terminal contacting with a second point 233 of the antenna pattern (see FIG. 3) and is an element that can be connected to the antenna pattern when the mobile terminal 100 supports a specific communication method, for example a WCDMA communication method. Thus, in one mode the length of the antenna line is based on the first contact terminal 221 and in another mode the length of the antenna line is based on the second contact terminal 223.

In order to support both communication methods, the first contact terminal 221 and the second contact terminal 223 may simultaneously contact with the first point 231 and the second point 233, respectively. As described above, the mobile terminal 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment has the sub-PCB 220 disposed at the second case 170B contacting with the antenna 230 disposed within the first case 170A and the main PCB 210 disposed within the second case 170B using the antenna 230 through the sub-PCB 220.

In the antenna apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment, as the antenna 230 is disposed at one side of the first case 170A, an entire lower end area of the first case 170A can be used as an area in which the antenna pattern is disposed, and as the antenna pattern is disposed at a surface of the inside of the first case 170A, occupying space of an antenna structure in the first case 170A can be minimized and disposition space of the antenna 230 can be maximized.

In the antenna apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment, as the main PCB 210 can be separated from the antenna 230, the main PCB 210 can be more flexibly disposed, and after the sub-PCB 220 contacting with the antenna 230 is disposed within the second case 170B, the sub-PCB 220 and the antenna 230 contact by a coupling force of the first case 170A and the second case 170B, and thus the sub-PCB 220 and the antenna 230 can be more securely connected.

In the foregoing description, the sub-PCB 220 has two contact terminals, i.e. the first contact terminal 221 and the second contact terminal 223, however the present invention is not limited thereto and the sub-PCB 220 may have one or more contacts with the antenna pattern depending upon the number of frequency bands which the mobile terminal may operate. As described above, according to an antenna apparatus of a mobile terminal, an antenna pattern is provided using a case of the mobile terminal except for a carrier, by providing a sub-board attached to the antenna pattern, disposition space of the antenna can be efficiently used and a process for assembling the mobile terminal can be more stably and simply supported and production costs may be reduced.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it should be clearly understood that many variations and modifications of the basic inventive concepts herein described, which may appear to those skilled in the art, will still fall within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a conductive member forming at least a part of an antenna, the conductive member being disposed at least in part on a surface of a first housing, the conductive member having a first contact point corresponding to a first communication mode and a second contact point corresponding to a second communication mode; a first printed circuit board (PCB) disposed on a surface of a second housing; and a second PCB electrically coupled with the first PCB and disposed on the surface of the second housing separately from the first PCB, comprising: a first contact terminal positioned to engage the antenna at the first contact point and a second contact terminal positioned to engage the antenna at the second contact point; and a switch to select between the first contact point and the second contact point, wherein: an effective length of the antenna when the first contact point is selected is shorter than the effective length when the second point is selected, the first housing and the second housing are configured to be mechanically coupled when facing each other, and the mechanical coupling of the first housing and the second housing results in an electrical connection between the antenna and the second PCB.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first housing comprises an antenna housing to support the antenna.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first PCB and the second PCB are electrically coupled via another conductive member disposed along an edge of the second housing.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna has a shape of a specified pattern.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first PCB and the second PCB are electrically coupled via a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first PCB and the second PCB are electrically coupled via a cable, whereby signal from the antenna is provided to the first PCB via the cable.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second housing comprises a battery space at least partially separating the first PCB and the second PCB.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second PCB comprises at least one contact terminal to form an electrical connection with the antenna.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises at least one point, each of the at least one point contacting different contact terminals of the second PCB.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second PCB comprises a circuit electrically coupled with the at least one contact terminal and configured to support impedance matching of the antenna.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second PCB comprises a switch to support selective reception of signal from the antenna via one of the at least one contact terminal.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first PCB comprises a control circuit to control the switch such that the apparatus can communicate via a selected communication mode.
 13. An apparatus comprising: an antenna disposed on a first housing of the apparatus, the antenna having a first contact point corresponding to a first communication mode and a second contact point corresponding to a second communication mode; a first printed circuit board (PCB) disposed on a second housing of the apparatus, comprising: a first contact terminal positioned to engage the antenna at the first contact point and a second contact terminal positioned to engage the antenna at the second contact point; and a switch to select between the first contact point and the second contact point, wherein an effective length of the antenna when the first contact point is selected is shorter than the effective length when the second point is selected; and a second PCB disposed on the second housing separately from the first PCB and opposite to the antenna, the second PCB being electrically coupled with the first PCB and configured to control the switch such that the apparatus operates in a selected communication mode among the first communication mode and the second communication mode.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first and second communication modes comprises at least one of GSM mode or WCDMA mode.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first housing comprises an antenna housing to support the antenna.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first PCB and the second PCB are electrically coupled via a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).
 17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first PCB and the second PCB are electrically coupled via a cable, whereby signal from the antenna is provided to the first PCB via the cable.
 18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second housing comprises a battery space at least partially separating the first PCB and the second PCB. 